Categories
Audiobooks

Two Novels for Disability Pride Month!

Hello, Audiophiles! It’s been an incredible summer full of great listens and outdoor adventures. The Corgis love playing in the park, chasing lizards, and splashing in puddles. I love sitting and watching them chase each other while I enjoy my latest listen.

Disability Pride Month has been a wonderful chance to sit back and appreciate the disability community and our stories. Especially as someone who’s in the book industry and can’t read print, I really appreciate all the work that people put into the audio editions of books that make my reading possible.

So to close us out, I’m recommending two novels about disabled characters who experience the world much like their authors. But first, bookish goods and new titles!

And don’t forget to apply to be an Editorial Operations Associate at Book Riot!

Bookish Goods

A photo of a t-shirt with the word Audiobooks on it

Audiobook Typography by SYME Creative Studio

I love bookish t-shirts — they are basically my work uniform — but audiobook t-shirts are THE BEST. Plus, this one has rainbow text, so what’s not to love?!

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows | Narrated by James Fouhey and Vikas Adam

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a fantasy novel where two men are betrothed in a political marriage. Caethari Aeduria is betrothed to a man from another country, changing so much about what he thought his future might be. Velasin vin Aaro never wanted his family to know that he preferred men, but then his family finds out. This novel is full of romance and political intrigue.

A graphic of the cover of How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo

How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo | Narrated by the Author

In this collection of linked essays, Elaine Castillo looks at the politics of reading, the importance of diversifying the books we read, and the importance of books in people’s lives. She also delves into weighty questions around reading, like what role do the classics still play in contemporary literature? And when are we going to acknowledge some of the problematic elements of popular favorites like Joan Didion? I can’t wait to dive into this audiobook that I’ve been waiting for — plus, the author reads the audio edition!

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Riot Recommendations

A graphic of the cover of True Biz by Naomi Novic

True Biz by Sara Novic | Narrated by Lisa Flanagan and Kaleo Griffith

As soon as I heard about True Biz, I knew I needed to read it ASAP. But I wondered how they were going to translate the portions of the book that discussed ASL in an audiobook. In the text, when a character is speaking in sign, the words are in italics. In the audiobook, you can hear the author actually signing the words as the narrator is reading them. So listeners can tell when dialogue is being signed versus spoken out loud. I really appreciated the care that the producers, narrator, and author took with the audiobook.

The novel focuses on a Deaf School in the Ohio River Valley (my home region!), and we follow three different characters at the school. February is a CODA (child of Deaf adult) who runs the school, Austen has lived in the Deaf community his entire life, and Charlie is a Deaf teen who didn’t learn to speak sign growing up, so now she’s learning it for the first time.

I really appreciated the complexities of this novel as it delves into the Deaf culture, history, and community. I can’t recommend it enough.

A graphic of the cover of Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester

Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester | Narrated by Frankie Corzo

Verónica’s parents are immigrants from Peru, and they hope that their new life in America will give Verónica better medical care as she lives through the many procedures and complications of living with hip dysplasia. While Verónica’s parents want her to spend the summer focusing on getting into college, she wants to become a professional mermaid at the local underwater mermaid show.

Sylvester’s story unravels the complex realities of being a disabled teenager in an immigrant Peruvian American family. I really appreciated the care and depth she invested in her novel. And of course, all-star narrator Frank Corzo did an excellent job performing the audiobook, making this listening experience incredibly special.

a photo of Gwen, the black and white cardigan welsh corgi, sitting on a couch surrounded by notebooks and books
a photo of Gwen the Cardigan Corgi on the couch

That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

The Audiobooks Newsletter Gets a Makeover!

Hello, Audiophiles! During this hot South Carolina summer, I often find myself sitting on my back porch and watching the small touches of wildlife around me. Lizards crawl across the porch screen and jump from plant to tree and back. Gwen loves to boop the lizards from her side of the screen, if she can sneak up on them that is. Dylan takes over the second chair and proudly views his kingdom. While I love audiobooks, I think unplugging and just listening to nature  is a beautiful way to slow down and enjoy the world around me.

This week, we are changing up the audiobook newsletter format! And don’t worry; there will still be Corgi photos. 🙂

Bookish Goods

A photo of an AirPods case shapes like Totoro

Totoro Airpod 1,2,3 PRO Case Cover by Quirky Cute STUDIOS

I have several different pairs of headphones I switch out throughout the day. To tell them apart, I get cute little cases. I love Studio Ghibli, so this case is just a little piece of perfection. $21

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey | Narrated by ​​Xe Sands

Xe Sands performs this story about one of the creepiest houses you’ve ever heard of. When Vera’s mom asked her to come home, she does. But she finds a strange artist living out back in the guest house. And why does she keep finding notes in her father’s handwriting all around the house?

A graphic of the cover of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Narrated by Gisela Chípe

Gisela Chípe performs Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest novel, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. The novel’s protagonist, Carlota Moreau, lives with her father on the Yucatán peninsula. Her father’s estate is filled with his experiments, a collection of half-human, half-beast hybrids. But when a visitor arrives, he triggers a series of events that will change Carlota Moreau’s life forever.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

Since it’s Disability Pride Month, I wanted to share a couple of my all-time favorite audiobooks. In particular, I wanted to recommend a couple upbeat titles to highlight different kinds of disabled joy and witty humor.

A graphic of the cover of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby | Narrated by the Author

Samantha Irby’s essays convey humor and heart in her signature strong narrative voice. So it’s no surprise that her audiobook narration is equally as excellent. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life was my introduction to Irby’s work, and I think for that reason, it’s still my favorite. Irby has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which, as someone who also has a colon from the pits of hell, I deeply relate to. Irby is also very playful in her writing. Much to my delight, one essay is a fake The Bachelor application, (I have been watching that show for far too long). I will forever listen to whatever audiobook Irby wants to put out next.

A graphic of the cover of Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert | Narrated by Adjoa Andoh

Before I was familiar with Adjoa Andoh’s work as an actress, I became familiar with her work as an audiobook narrator. Andoh has an incredible talent for capturing the hilariously awkward stories that follow Talia Hibbert’s romance series Brown Sisters. In the first book in the series, we meet Chloe Brown, the oldest of the sisters, who has fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions. Chloe wants to live life on her own, away from her affluent parents, and moves into an apartment in a building that happens to have an incredibly attractive apartment manager. I love this couple as they navigate very real complications to their relationship. The other two books in the series are also just as wonderful, so definitely check them out if you love this one.

Libro.fm Podcast – Episode 03: “Interview with Kendra Winchester” – I was on Libro.fm’s new podcast! If your looking for a new audiobooks podcast, look no further! Libro.fm is doing great things.

AudioFile Magazine 30th Anniversary – Narrator Trailer – AudioFile put together this excellent clip of different narrators in honor of their 30th Anniversary. Congrats on the big milestone, AudioFile!

A photo of Dylan, a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi, sitting next to several tall book stacks that are all taller than him. He is look at you with the look of disappointment and judgement. After all, you could have bought more snacks instead of more books.
He’s a 10 but he judges you for buying more books when you already have so many unread ones at home.

That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

Audiobooks QA Test

Hello! I am me. I like books! I will tell you about them. I also like cheese.

Bookish Goods

A photo of a blue shirt with the words "bookmarks are for quitters"

Very Cool Item by SirBooksALot

This item is awesome! Don’t you want it? I bought four! $20

New Releases

sample book cover image: generic text against a beach background

A Throne of Socks and Feelings by That One Girl

The 36th installment of this very cool series about socks, feelings, and other stuff.

sample book cover image: generic text against a beach background

Grate Expectations: A Compendium of Cheeses by Oaxaca Muenster

Sweet baby cheeses, this book brie-longs on my shelf.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

These books are related somehow, I swear. Read them or whatever!

sample book cover image: generic text against a beach background

Read This Book, Yo by Peppermint Petty

Because I said so.

sample book cover image: generic text against a beach background

Gods of Rage and Shallows by Vanessa Diaz

There will be rage, and there will be shallows.

A link I think you’ll like.

And another.

And another.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter. I am a very cool person.

Find me on the gram, Goodreads, or my personal website, Amor y Queso.

-Vanessa

Categories
Audiobooks

So Many New Audiobooks!

Hello Audiophiles! Shortly after I started writing the audiobooks newsletter, I adopted a Corgi puppy. You all have watched her grow up. This week, we celebrated Gwenllian’s first birthday. We got the Corgis pupcakes from a local bakery, and she received plenty of new toys. I can’t believe that so much time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was playing audiobooks out loud to help Gwen quit crying during crate training.

As Disability Pride Month continues, I love seeing so many people pick up more books by disabled, chronically ill, d/Deaf, and neurodivergent authors. Sometimes I scroll through the bookish internet and don’t see a single book by a disabled author. But this month, bookstagram is filled with so many excellent recommendations, and people are beginning to realize that disabled people tell incredible stories.

A photo of Gwenllian, the black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi, sitting in front of boxes of her presents. A pupcake with a number one candle sits on the box filled with her presents.
Gwenllian sits in front of boxes of her presents. A pupcake with a number one candle sits on the box filled with her presents.

Riot Recommendation

A graphic of the cover of A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley

A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley | Performed by the Author

This week on the main site, I shared “7 Nonfiction Books for Disability Pride Month,” which included one of my favorite disability memoirs, A Face for Picasso. Henley and her twin sister were born with Crouzon Syndrome, a condition where the bones of their skulls fused too soon. They spent much of their childhood in the hospital, undergoing dozens of procedures to save their lives and to try to make their faces more “aesthetically pleasing.”

Henley gives us a look into her childhood. Of trying to just be a kid when the world around her constantly reminded her that she looked different than everyone else. Adults doubted her intelligence and other kids made fun of her and her sister. But we also see Henley’s joy of playing with her friends and the love she received from her family.

As Henley reaches young adulthood, she finds herself transitioning from a child where adults made a lot of the decisions about her health to an adult who makes her own decisions about her body and what procedures she wants to undergo. She discovers a new confidence in herself and her body.

In her performance of the audiobook, Henley gives us additional emotional insight into her story. I cried when she cried. I felt joy when she felt joy recounting her happiest memories.

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey | Narrated by Ben Onwukue and Vivienne Acheampong

The Costa Book of the Year, The Mermaid of Black Conch, is finally available in the US! This novel follows David, a man who rescues a woman caught on a fisherman’s hook. Once out of the water the mermaid begins to change. David must work to help hide the mermaid and tries to help her adjust to life on land.

A graphic of the cover of The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras | Narrated by Marisol Ramirez

I love Ingrid Rojas Contreras’s debut novel, Fruit of the Drunken Tree, and I’ve been so excited for her memoir, The Man Who Could Move Clouds. Her memoir goes back to her childhood in Columbia. Her grandfather was a community healer, a man said to possess incredible abilities. Rojas Contreras examines her family legacy and what her role in the family mysteries might be.

A graphic of the cover of A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers | Narrated by Em Grosland

In the sequel to A Psalm for the Wild-Built, we once again return to the world of Panga. The monk Sibling Dex and the robot Mosscap return from their travels to try to live a life that is filled with friends and goes along with their principles.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

A graphic of the cover of The It Girl by Ruth Ware

The It Girl by Ruth Ware | Narrated by Imogen Church

Hannah Jones had a core group of friends in college. After one of her friends, April Clarke-Cliveden, is murdered, Hannah eventually marries April’s boyfriend. A decade after the murder, Hannah is expecting her first child. More secrets about April’s death are revealed, turning April’s world upside down.

A graphic of the cover of Sister Mother Warrior by Vanessa Riley

Sister Mother Warrior by Vanessa Riley | Narrated by Adjoa Andoh and Robin Miles

The queen of historical fiction is back with her latest novel Sister Mother Warrior. This novel focuses on two women during the Haitian revolution. Marie-Claire Bonheur, the first Empress of Haiti, grew up a free Black woman with immense privilege. Gran Toya is a warrior born in West Africa and brought to Haiti as an enslaved woman. Both women have an important role to play in Haiti’s revolution.

A graphic of the cover of Crying in the Bathroom by Erika L. Sánchez

Crying in the Bathroom by Erika L. Sánchez | Narrated by the Author

I loved I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, so I’ve been highly anticipating Erika L. Sánchez’s new memoir, Crying in the Bathroom. Her memoir discusses everything from white feminism to depression as she shares more about what it was like for her growing up in Chicago as the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

Over on Book Riot

7 Nonfiction Books for Disability Pride Month” by Kendra Winchester

Around the Web

Macmillan Audio Releases Audiobook Version of Three Key Supreme Court Abortion Rulings” (Publisher’s Weekly)

Spotify is going big on a new feature – and it’s not music” (TechRadar) – Spotify is going to have audiobooks! I’m curious how this experiment will go.

Top 20 Most Recommended Fiction Audiobooks of All Time” (Libro.fm)

Listens on the History and Future of Reproductive Justice” (Audible)


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

TEST: It’s Disability Pride Month!

Happy Disability Pride Month! I love seeing disabled people highlighted and celebrated across the internet. While we still have a long way to go when it comes to general disability awareness, it feels like we reach more and more people every year. If you’re looking for more general info about Disability Pride, check out my post “A Book Lovers Guide to Disability Pride Month”, which details a lot of different options for how you can support and celebrate Disability Pride! And if you’re looking for audiobook recommendations, check out “7 Fiction Audiobooks for Disability Pride”.

This week, we’ve been taking the Corgis out in the evening to the neighborhood dog park. They usually have it to themselves, and Gwen and Dylan spend a lot of time annoying each other and chasing Dylan’s pink ball around. This ball is one of Dylan’s favorite things in the world. (Yes, I have several of them just in case the worst should happen). Recently, Gwen has taken to dropping the ball down an impossibly deep, dark hole the neighborhood dogs have been working on for the last few months. Dylan waddles over and tries to reach his beloved toy. Thankfully, we have eventually retrieved every lost ball, but Gwenllian seems to take far too much joy in throwing it back in again. Good thing they are both so cute.

A photo of Dylan's red and white floofy butt sticking out of a dark hole.

Bookish Goods

pillows made to look like library cards in a variety of colors

Placeholder by EtsyShop

insert blurb blurb here. $15

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty | Narrated by Darrell Dennis

In his debut collection, Penobscot author Morgan Talty writes about a Native community in Maine. These twelve stories feature characters encountering mysterious things like a jar filled with a curse or a friend stuck with his hair frozen in the snow. Everyone and their mother’s brother has been gushing about this book and I can’t wait to listen!

A graphic of the cover of Original Sins by Matt Rowland Hill

Original Sins by Matt Rowland Hill | Narrated by Daniel Hawksford

Matt Rowland Hill grew up in the UK as a pastor’s kid. As he grows older, Hill realizes he doesn’t share the same faith as his conservative parents. Unsure of where to turn next, Hill finds himself feeling stuck, addicted to whatever he can get his hands on and attending too many funerals of his friends who have overdosed.

A graphic of the cover of 100 Animals That Can F--king End You by Mamadou Ndiaye

100 Animals That Can F–king End You by Mamadou Ndiaye | Narrated by Mamadou Ndiaye

On TikTok, there’s nothing like Mamadou Ndiaye explaining his latest fascination with yet another ferocious creature that will be more than happy to end you. Narrated by Ndiaye himself, listeners get to experience the audiobook equivalent of his videos on TikTok.

The Earthspinner by Anuradha Roy

The Earthspinner by Anuradha Roy | Narrated by Maya Saroya

Waking from a strange dream, Elango feels the urge to create something new like nothing else he has crafted. The potter constructs a terracotta horse, but then doesn’t know what to do with it. Should he display it in a temple? Or maybe give it to the woman he loves? Whatever decision he makes, he knows that from the moment he makes the horse, Elango’s life will be forever changed.

A graphic of the cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin | Narrated by Jennifer Kim and Julian Cihi

The author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is back with her new novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Sam Masur and Sadie Green start an epic partnership to create their masterpiece, Ichigo, a game that’s everything they always wanted. The novel spans thirty years, showing us the long after effects of their work. I’m always here for a novel about gaming, so I’m thrilled for this novel to finally be out in the world.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

A graphic of the cover of Easy Beauty: A Memoir by Chloé Cooper Jones

Easy Beauty: A Memoir by Chloé Cooper Jones

Chloé Cooper Jones is an academic working on her second PhD when she finds herself in a bar watching two men debate on whether or not she should exist. Oddly, she feels removed from the situation. How many times has she had to prove she’s worthy of existence? Far too many to count.

Jones was born with sacral agenesis, a condition that impacted her height and way of walking. Moving through the world as a visibly disabled person has meant Jones faces ableist comments from strangers on a daily basis. But this moment in the bar felt different. Was it because they were trying to be academic or did she just expect more of them? Jones starts searching for answers. She travels the world and enters the field of journalism just for a new challenge.

From its first few paragraphs, Jones’ prose captures your attention. As she performed the text, I couldn’t help but think of how fantastic her prose is, how each word has its place. Jones forced me to think about disability in a new way, questioning the way disabled people are forced to move through the world.

Ever since I finished this book, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. There’s an entire section of disabled motherhood, and Jones shares what it was like for her to surprise doctors when she wanted to have her baby. Admittedly, I found myself tearing up at different parts. Though Jones and I have different conditions, we both share many similar experiences, and I appreciated her thought-provoking takes on how those experiences impacted her life.

That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

It’s Disability Pride Month!

Happy Disability Pride Month! I love seeing disabled people highlighted and celebrated across the internet. While we still have a long way to go when it comes to general disability awareness, it feels like we reach more and more people every year. If you’re looking for more general info about Disability Pride, check out my post “A Book Lovers Guide to Disability Pride Month”, which details a lot of different options for how you can support and celebrate Disability Pride! And if you’re looking for audiobook recommendations, check out “7 Fiction Audiobooks for Disability Pride”.

This week, we’ve been taking the Corgis out in the evening to the neighborhood dog park. They usually have it to themselves, and Gwen and Dylan spend a lot of time annoying each other and chasing Dylan’s pink ball around. This ball is one of Dylan’s favorite things in the world. (Yes, I have several of them just in case the worst should happen). Recently, Gwen has taken to dropping the ball down an impossibly deep, dark hole the neighborhood dogs have been working on for the last few months. Dylan waddles over and tries to reach his beloved toy. Thankfully, we have eventually retrieved every lost ball, but Gwenllian seems to take far too much joy in throwing it back in again. Good thing they are both so cute.

A photo of Dylan's red and white floofy butt sticking out of a dark hole.
Dylan retrieving his pink ball

Riot Recommendation

A graphic of the cover of Easy Beauty: A Memoir by Chloé Cooper Jones

Easy Beauty: A Memoir by Chloé Cooper Jones

Chloé Cooper Jones is an academic working on her second PhD when she finds herself in a bar watching two men debate on whether or not she should exist. Oddly, she feels removed from the situation. How many times has she had to prove she’s worthy of existence? Far too many to count.

Jones was born with sacral agenesis, a condition that impacted her height and way of walking. Moving through the world as a visibly disabled person has meant Jones faces ableist comments from strangers on a daily basis. But this moment in the bar felt different. Was it because they were trying to be academic or did she just expect more of them? Jones starts searching for answers. She travels the world and enters the field of journalism just for a new challenge.

From its first few paragraphs, Jones’ prose captures your attention. As she performed the text, I couldn’t help but think of how fantastic her prose is, how each word has its place. Jones forced me to think about disability in a new way, questioning the way disabled people are forced to move through the world.

Ever since I finished this book, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. There’s an entire section of disabled motherhood, and Jones shares what it was like for her to surprise doctors when she wanted to have her baby. Admittedly, I found myself tearing up at different parts. Though Jones and I have different conditions, we both share many similar experiences, and I appreciated her thought-provoking takes on how those experiences impacted her life.

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty | Narrated by Darrell Dennis

In his debut collection, Penobscot author Morgan Talty writes about a Native community in Maine. These twelve stories feature characters encountering mysterious things like a jar filled with a curse or a friend stuck with his hair frozen in the snow. Everyone and their mother’s brother has been gushing about this book and I can’t wait to listen!

A graphic of the cover of Original Sins by Matt Rowland Hill

Original Sins by Matt Rowland Hill | Narrated by Daniel Hawksford

Matt Rowland Hill grew up in the UK as a pastor’s kid. As he grows older, Hill realizes he doesn’t share the same faith as his conservative parents. Unsure of where to turn next, Hill finds himself feeling stuck, addicted to whatever he can get his hands on and attending too many funerals of his friends who have overdosed.

A graphic of the cover of 100 Animals That Can F--king End You by Mamadou Ndiaye

100 Animals That Can F–king End You by Mamadou Ndiaye | Narrated by Mamadou Ndiaye

On TikTok, there’s nothing like Mamadou Ndiaye explaining his latest fascination with yet another ferocious creature that will be more than happy to end you. Narrated by Ndiaye himself, listeners get to experience the audiobook equivalent of his videos on TikTok.

The Earthspinner by Anuradha Roy

The Earthspinner by Anuradha Roy | Narrated by Maya Saroya

Waking from a strange dream, Elango feels the urge to create something new like nothing else he has crafted. The potter constructs a terracotta horse, but then doesn’t know what to do with it. Should he display it in a temple? Or maybe give it to the woman he loves? Whatever decision he makes, he knows that from the moment he makes the horse, Elango’s life will be forever changed.

A graphic of the cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin | Narrated by Jennifer Kim and Julian Cihi

The author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is back with her new novel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Sam Masur and Sadie Green start an epic partnership to create their masterpiece, Ichigo, a game that’s everything they always wanted. The novel spans thirty years, showing us the long after effects of their work. I’m always here for a novel about gaming, so I’m thrilled for this novel to finally be out in the world.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.

Over on Book Riot

8 of the Best Audiobooks Narrated by Frankie Corzo” by Kendra Winchester

True Crime Audiobooks That Will Keep You Up All Night” by Ashley Holstrom

How to Listen to Audiobooks” by Aisling Twomey

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

The StoryGraph Adds a New Feature to Track Audiobook Listening!

This past weekend, the world watched Trumpet the Bloodhound win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show! Of course, being a Corgi household, we were disappointed that neither of the Corgi breeds won, but we had a good time cheering them on anyway.

When I wasn’t cheering for the Corgis at Westminster, my spouse and I have been watching our way through Psych like it’s 2008. Not only has the fashion from our college years made a comeback, but it seems like the TV shows have too. For whatever reason, Sam and I both missed out on the Psych craze, so we’ve been enjoying this low-stakes mystery series. Of course, Only Murders in the Building is back with season two, so we had to drop everything to watch it. If you haven’t seen the first season yet, be sure to hop onto Hulu and check it out!

Watching both of these series has made me in the mood for a mystery novel on audio, but I’m not sure what to pick up. In recent years, I’ve enjoyed Jane Harper, Sujata Massey and Attica Locke. But what mystery novels would you recommend? Feel free to email your recommendations to me at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com.

A photo of Gwen, a black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi, sitting in a patch of golden sunlight while holding a purple elephant toy in her paws.
A graphic of Storygraph's Logo

The StoryGraph‘s New Audiobook Feature

With over one million users, The StoryGraph is a reading tracker that allows bookworms to record their reading habits in a wide range of ways. The StoryGraph will then take this date and create easy to understand graphs and charts. I love how easy StoryGraph is to use!

Just in time for this year’s Audiobook Appreciation Month in June, The StoryGraph released its new audiobook feature that allows users to track their listening. You can track your audiobook listening using several different data points, allowing audiobook lovers to customize their experience.

When I asked Nadia, The StoryGraph’s Founder, what challenges they ran into when creating the feature, she said that they had to consider the different ways that The StoryGraph’s users wanted to track their audiobooks and what data users wanted to see. This led them to use a more customizable approach to give their users the best experience possible.

In the future, keep your eye out for new updates from The StoryGraph, like their upcoming book club feature. Plus, they have a new dark mode and a new book scanning feature in the works too!

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo

In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo | Narrated by Sura Siu

A family moves from Taiwan to America where the entire family lives in one tiny apartment. Anna thought that moving to “the beautiful” (what they call America in Chinese) would be like a dream. But so far, it’s just been disappointing. Anna can’t help but wonder, is all of her family’s sacrifice really worth it?

A graphic of the cover of Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin

Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin | Narrated by Ell Potter

Perfect for fairytale lovers, Elsewhere is set in a town where it’s just accepted that some mothers disappear. Vera grows up knowing that for her, motherhood is inevitable. But when the time comes, she has nothing but questions for what her own experience with motherhood will bring.

A graphic of the cover of Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert | Narrated by Chloe Cannon and Emma Galvin

Set in two time periods, Our Crooked Hearts possesses that creepy magical vibe Melissa Albert is known for. In the present day, Ivy is spending her summer break in the suburbs running into creepy figures and disturbing ruins with strangers. In the past, Dana is a city girl looking to connect with the supernatural with the help of her two friends. These two stories come together in the darkest, most delightfully sinister way possible.

A graphic of the cover of The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule

The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule | Narrated by Dion Graham

Bernadette and Melvin are a Black couple just trying to make a life for themselves in America in the 1960s. But after being attacked, the couple moves to Ghana in hopes of escaping the racial violence. There they meet Kwesi, a charming man who seems to rule the night life in their new city. When Bernadette experiences an immediate attraction to Kwesi, Melvin begins to worry that he might lose the woman he loves most.

A graphic of the cover of Katzenjammer by Francesca Zappia

Katzenjammer by Francesca Zappia | Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

Cat lives in her high school. In fact, she and several other students are trapped. As time passes, they begin to slowly transform into something else. None of them remember why exactly they are there. They just know that if they don’t figure out how to leave, they may lose what’s left of their memories.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.

Over on Book Riot

Listen Up: 8 Incredible Queer Audiobook Narrators” by Laura Sackton – Want to support more LGBTQ+ audiobook narrators? Check out this list!

15 of the Best Fantasy Lesbian Audiobooks to Listen to Right Now” by Addison Rizer –  Women loving women fantasy novels are having a real moment right now—here is a round up of 15 of them!

The Bane of My Bookish Existence: I Can’t Read Nonfiction in Print” by Carina Pereira – I love hearing about another audiobook lover’s approach to listening. 

Get the 10 Best Audiobook Narrators in Your Ears” by Nusrah Javed – Why haven’t we had a quick round of excellent audiobook narrators in a hot minute? Nusrah Javad has given us an excellent updated list!

What Makes a Great Audiobooks Narrator” by Arvyn Cerézo – I LOVE this piece from Arvyn Cerézo. They really get to the core of what makes an audiobook tick.

Around the Web

Top 20 Most Recommended Nonfiction Audiobooks of All Time(Libro.fm)

Top 20 Most Recommended Fiction Audiobooks of All Time” (Libro.fm)

The Best of the Year (So Far) 2022” (Audible)

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

Summer Solstice New Audiobook Releases!

Hello Audiophiles and Happy Summer Solstice! The Corgis and I have been going to the park every day. But I’ve found that I have to be careful or my leisurely time listening to audiobooks while playing fetch with Dylan and Gwen can turn into something a little more dramatic. Dylan has a strong fear of machines, of any kind. Vacuums, hair dryers, stoves—doesn’t matter. In his mind, they all want to come and steal his soul and drag it down to the underworld. 

If I don’t time our trip to the park just right, the sprinklers pop up out of the ground and spray water all over the dog park. Being the #1 Corgi luddite of America, Dylan runs frantically to the gate and dramatically paws at it. Gwen, fearless creature that she is, loves playing in the water. So I have one Corgi sprinting at each sprinkler trying to attack it, and another crying at the front gate begging to be set free.

We go home and Dylan gets the much-deserved scritches for braving the agents of the underworld. I still haven’t had a chance to finish my audiobook. Maybe tomorrow.

A photo of Dylan, a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Gwen, a black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi, rolling in the sand.
Find Yourself a Human Who Loves You As Much as Gwen Loves the Beach

Riot Recommendation

A graphic of the cover of By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory | Narrated by Sarah Hollis

After reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry, I knew I wanted more love stories about people in the book industry. As a huge history of publishing nerd, there’s just something about people who love books falling in love that hits the white hot center of my wheelhouse. (I’m sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that I married a guy in my creative writing program in college.)

Izzy feels stuck in her job as an editor’s assistant. As one of the only Black people in her office, she often feels tokenized for the benefit of her white coworkers. So when an opportunity occurs to prove herself and get promoted, she jumps at the chance. That’s how she finds herself on the front steps of the house of Beau Towers, one of the most difficult authors from her publishing house. Beau’s memoir is way overdue, but if Izzy can get him to turn in his pages, she feels she just might finally get noticed by her boss.

I loved this Beauty and the Beast retelling that centers around books. Jasmine Guillory is already one of my favorite romance authors, and her love for her characters shines through Izzy and Beau’s story. Guillory’s characters are full of life, encompassing all its complications and messiness. The two lovebirds have to each work through their own issues before they can finally create a life together.

Sarah Hollis does a brilliant job of narrating the audiobook edition, embodying Izzy’s narrative voice perfectly. I love when a narrator can get me completely engrossed in the story.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino | Narrated by Laura Knight Keating

A  world of goblins lives beneath the city of York. May comes from a family of witches. But when she falls for a goblin girl, her entire world is turned upside down. Years later, Lou, May’s niece, has no idea about her family’s history. When one of her family members is abducted by goblins, Lou must uncover her family’s past to save her loved one.

A graphic of the cover of The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager | Narrated Bernadette Dunne

The bestselling thriller writer Riley Sager is back with The House Across the Lake, a suspenseful story about an actress who finds herself wrapped up in her neighbors’ lives. Casey flees the paparazzi and hides out in her family’s vacation house in Vermont. She spends her days watching her neighbors, a husband and wife who seem to have a perfect life. But as she views their life through her binoculars, she realizes their relationship might not be as perfect as it appears.

A graphic of the cover of The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi | Narrated by Nicole Lewis and Dominic Hoffman

The first in a trilogy, The Final Strife follows three young women whose friendship threatens to bring down the empire as they know it. Sylah and Anoor come from very different parts of society, but their love knows no bounds. Hassa is used to being invisible to the privileged, but the thing she hated most about herself becomes a priceless skill.

A graphic of the cover of On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi

On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi | Narrated by Mela Lee

Ghanaian American Angela Appiah has tried to be the perfect daughter. She has a great career, an amazing boyfriend, and suitable friends. But when her boyfriend dumps her and her friends pull away, Angie feels like her life is out of control. Plus, she never planned for Ricky Gutierrez to come into her life. And she certainly didn’t plan to fall in love with him.

A graphic of the cover of An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong | Narrated by Ed Yong

Ed Yong, the author of We Contain Multitudes, is back with another book about the fascinating living world around us. This time, Yong shares how animals experience the world around them, and how animal senses are often very different from our own. This book is perfect for any animal lover or science enthusiast.

A graphic of the cover of Lucie Yi Is Not ARomantic by Lauren Ho

Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic by Lauren Ho | Narrated by Cindy Kay

Lucie Yi’s plans for a family with her boyfriend implode after their breakup. Deciding that she isn’t going to wait any longer, she decides to become a parent with a platonic co-parent. When she begins looking for a co-parent, she finds Collin, a man who checks all of her boxes. While she hoped that they could start a family together, she never expected to fall in love.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

Listening for #1000WordsOfSummer!

Hello Audiophiles! This week the Corgis and I have bunkered down inside the house as we’ve been experiencing the full extent of South Carolina weather–an intense heatwave and rain. Just the other day, I went out to take some photos during a brief lull in the rain, and my camera lens steamed up. Who needs a soft glow filter when you have humidity?

While inside, I’ve been listening to Libro.fm’s new podcast! They have two episodes so far, and I love listening to people just as wild about audiobooks as I am. In their most recent episode, they discussed all the different things they do while listening to audiobooks. This got me thinking, what do I do while listening to audiobooks?

Since I work from home, I almost always have an audiobook or podcast going. Recently, most of my days have been spent in my library working on my various deadlines while the Corgis wrestle it out like they’re on WWE. I can’t even count how many book stacks they’ve knocked over. What are your favorite activities to do while you listen to audiobooks?

A photo of Gwen, a black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi, standing in the water at the beach. Dylan, a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi, standing in the water and facing the other direction.
Gwen and Dylan at the Beach

Recent Listen

A graphic of the cover of I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home by Jamie Attenberg

I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home by Jamie Attenberg | Narrated by Xe Sands

This month, I decided to participate in Jami Attenberg’s #1000WordsOfSummer initiative, which encourages participants to write 1000 words a day over the course of two weeks. She sends out one email a day to encourage writers and often brings on guests to add their two cents about writing. I’ve enjoyed Attenberg’s writing for several years, so I thought now would be the perfect time to pick up her memoir, I Came All This Way to Meet You.

Attenberg loosely follows her writing career in the memoir, jumping back and forth in time to add context and to flesh out the people in her life. In her writing, she describes life while trying to find her way as a writer, the many jobs she’s worked, and the places she’s traveled to visit. Throughout the memoir, you can feel a sense of unsettledness, that all this time, Attenberg was just looking for a place to feel the most herself.

Attenberg describes her struggle with who she feels she’s supposed to be as a writer vs who she wants to be. She’s supposed to want to live in New York, working night and day if that’s what it takes to live there. She’s supposed to find a long term partner, to want to travel the world. But she finally realizes she feels the most at home in her little house in New Orleans, just her and her dog.

Xe Sands performs the audiobook with an incredible sense of intimacy. I think memoirs can be some of the most difficult audiobooks to narrate because they are so deeply personal for their authors. But Sands rises to the challenge, beautifully capturing Attenberg’s narrative voice.

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of The Bridesmaids Union by Jonathan Vatner

The Bridesmaids Union by Jonathan Vatner | Narrated by Kimberly M. Wetherell

Iris and a group of other women create a Facebook group as a place to air out all of their bridesmaid grievances. But as the group grows, Iris finds it harder and harder to keep the group under control. With her sister’s wedding coming up, Iris worries that her online life will spill over to her offline one. Full of the very specific brand of family and wedding chaos, The Bridesmaid Union is sure to delight anyone who loves stories full of drama.

A graphic of the cover of Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe | Narrated by Shayna Small

In the summer of 1999, Fe Fe and her friends Precious and Stacia form a trio, friends forever. But when a new girl arrives in the neighborhood, the three friends find their dynamic suddenly changed. As their Chicago neighborhood changes around them, the girls find their friendship changing as well. Years later, Fe Fe returns to the neighborhood and is flooded with memories from that one fateful summer.

A graphic of the cover of One's Company by Ashley Hutson

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson | Narrated by Rachel Jacobs

Bonnie just wants to live her life alone, sitting in front of her TV watching her favorite show, Three’s Company. But Bonnie’s life is irrevocably changed when she wins the lottery. She decides to move to a house in the mountains where she can recreate the set of Three Company and live out her own dreams by imagining herself in the TV show.

A graphic of the cover of How to Raise an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

How to Raise an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi | Narrated by the Author

Ibram X. Kendi gives parents and guardians the tools they need to have important conversations with the kids in their lives. Using both research and personal stories from his life, Kendi shares a guide on how to teach kids to be antiracist at different stages of their lives.

Over on Book Riot

Listen Up: 8 Incredible Queer Audiobook Narrators” by Laura Sackton – A great list of narrators to support during Pride Month and all year long!

15 of the Best Fantasy Lesbian Audiobooks to listen to Right Now” by Addison Rizer – I love a lesbian fantasy novel—here’s 15!

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Around the Web

More Big Numbers for Audiobooks” from the Copyright Clearance Center podcast

Spotify Is Bringing Its Freemium Model to Audiobooks” (PC Magazine World) – The audiobook world is buzzing about Spotify’s recent announcement that they are entering the audiobook business. We still don’t have many details about how the logistics will work, but Spotify seems ready to throw a lot of money behind this experiment.


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra

Categories
Audiobooks

It’s Time for Some Pride Listens!

Hello Audiophiles! I don’t know about you, but I have been completely overwhelmed by the number of incredible audiobooks that have just hit my TBR. How can anyone decide what to listen to with so many options? If you’re like me and always looking for audiobook reviews to help narrow down your choices, be sure to check out Book Riot’s “The Best Audiobooks 2022 Has to Offer (So Far!)” where I share twenty-five of my favorite audiobooks of the year. Plus, Libro.fm just released a great article “If You Liked These Bestsellers, Try These New Release Audiobooks”, which will give you even more audiobook recommendations.

We’ve had some beautiful summer days here in the Lowcountry, and the Corgis have been having the best time at the dog park and at the beach. While they definitely live their best lives as library Corgs, they also love the outdoors. I love listening to a good book while going on walks with them or playing fetch at the park—perfect slow summer days!

Like I mentioned last week, for the rest of the month, we’ll be celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and stories! First up, we’re going to a Southern novel set in ever-sunny Florida.


Recent Listen

A graphic of the cover of With Teeth by Kristen Arnett

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett | Narrated by Kristen Sieh

Last year, I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Kristen Arnett about her second novel With Teeth. Sammie is raising her son Sam with Monika, her wife. But when Sam bites Sammie in the car during a disagreement, Sammie’s entire perception of herself begins to change. Instead of the perfect queer family that she and Monika had always dreamed of, Sammie must come to terms with the fact that her family life might not be as idealic as they imagined. As Sam continues to act out during public outings and at school, Sammie and Monika’s marriage begins to crumble.

Arnett possesses the brilliant ability to capture what it’s like for a lesbian couple to try to parent in a time when there’s so much pressure for lesbian queer parents to act as a “good” example of queer parenting. But Arnett makes a point of illustrating that Sammie and Monika are just as flawed as everyone else. 

Kristen Sieh performs the audiobook with such great vocal characterization of Sammie’s narrative voice as she deals with all of her confusion and anxiety over her son’s behavior. When I listened to the audiobook, I became engrossed in this family’s story. I had no idea what on earth Monika and Sammie could do for their son or how their marriage would turn out. So prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of a family novel.

New Releases

A graphic of the cover of Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley | Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

This Oprah’s Book Club pick will capture your attention from the first few minutes. Kiara and her brother are trying to make ends meet in Oakland, California. Kiara also tries to take care of the boy next door. Through a strange set of circumstances, Kiara ends up in a line of work she never expected. Plus, she’s a key witness in a case against the corrupt local police department.

A graphic of the cover of Nevada by Imogen Binnie

Nevada by Imogen Binnie | Narrated by the Author

Nevada is the story of Maria, a trans woman working in a bookstore. She loves her job, but is slowly admitting to herself that she doesn’t love her girlfriend Steph. After Maria and Steph break up, Maria finds herself  traveling to Star City, Nevada. This is a road trip book for a new generation now on audio for the first time.

A graphic of the cover of Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley | Narrated by the Author

One night while in New York City’s Chinatown, Lola runs into one ex and then another. What might have been coincidence turns into something a little supernatural as memories begin to swirl about her. This fantastical literary novel is sure to amaze at it tackles ideas around memory, identity, and love.

A graphic of the. over of Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen | Narrated by Catherine Ho

As a huge fan of Kirsten Chen, I couldn’t be more thrilled that she has a brand new novel. In Counterfeit, we meet Ava, a Chinese American woman whose life feels like it’s crumbling apart. But her college best friend, Winnie Fang, appears on the scene, full of confidence that Ava didn’t know she had. But how did Winnie gain so much confidence and an eye for top-tier fashion?

A graphic of the cover of These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany

These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany | Narrated Shazia Nicholls

Malak, Kees, and Jenna feel like it’s them against the world. Taught a certain way to be good Muslim women by their families, they always expected their lives to go a certain way. But as they grow closer to adulthood, they begin to see that their lives are going to be more complicated than they first imagined.

Over on Book Riot

Tune Into These Excellent Nonfiction Audiobooks” by Neha Patel – Patel does a great job of giving us a range of nonfiction audiobooks worth picking up.

10 of Libro.fm’s Most Preordered Audiobooks for Summer 2022” by Kendra Winchester – I’m back with even more Libro.fm favorites that definitely need to be on your TBR.

Tuning in with Tots: 10 of the Best Audiobooks for Toddler” by Megan Mabee – Honestly, I had never thought of how toddlers might love audiobooks, but after reading this article, of course they would!   Makes me wonder if my adolescent Corgi might like them as well.

Around the Web

If You Liked These Bestsellers, Try These New Release Audiobooks” (Libro.fm)

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!


That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE audiobook content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.

Happy listening, bookish friends!

~ Kendra